Christian relics

Christian relics are physical objects associated with saints, martyrs, or Jesus Christ, venerated for their sacred connection.

These include bodily remains—bones, hair, blood—as well as items the holy figure touched or used: fragments of the True Cross, the Shroud of Turin, a saint's clothing.

Medieval churches competed fiercely for relics, believing they channeled divine power and drew pilgrims.

The practice remains central to Catholic and Orthodox tradition, where relics are often housed in ornate containers called reliquaries and placed within church altars.